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In the "old days" before digital cinema, motion picture projectors would actually display every frame of film twice using a steady 2:2:2:2:2:2... cadence, to reduce the sensation of flicker on the screen. So the projected frame rate was actually 48 fps, or double the 24 fps at which the film was shot, since each frame was displayed twice.

To match the 60 Hz (ie 60 frames or fields per second) rate of video though, those original 24 fps of recorded film footage have to be stretched out even a bit further. The "odd" frames are displayed twice, and the "even" frames are displayed three times, in a continuous "asymmetric" 2:3:2:3:2:3... cadence. The asymmetrical nature of this cadence gives the motion a slight "jerkiness" or unevenness, which is most noticeable on smooth camera pans. That uneveness is what people refer to as telecine judder.

My understanding is that the Cinema Smooth feature switches the frame rate of the F5300 to 96 Hz, which allows each frame of film to be displayed 4 times, in a steady 4:4:4:4:4:4... cadence (instead of the usual 2:3:2:3... pattern), thus removing the judder from the motion. I believe it only works with 24p inputs though.

Some prefer the more steady 4:4:4:4:4:4... cadence, while others (who are more used to judder) may prefer the standard 60 Hz 2:3:2:3:2:3... cadence.

Thank you very much! Very helpful indeed. So basically what im seeing is normal! Thats good to know. Ive noticed while playing games at 60fps this tv is buttery smooth. Really awesome quality for the price!

Thank you very much! Very helpful indeed. So basically what im seeing is normal! Thats good to know. Ive noticed while playing games at 60fps this tv is buttery smooth. Really awesome quality for the price!

Just to be clear on something... I think what xericmx really objects to (in addition to judder) is the general "stop-frame" quality of lower frame-rate content on these and other displays.

The Cinema Smooth feature should remove the 3:2 judder, but it may also enhance the stop-frame quality of 24 fps film-based content to a degree, giving the actors a more "animated" look, because each individual film frame is repeated 4 times on the screen.

The asymmetric nature of 3:2 judder may break that animated or stop-motion quality up a bit more, which could be one reason some people still prefer it to the more steady 4:4:4:4... cadence produced by the Cinema Smooth option. I'd recommend trying them both though, to see which you personally prefer.

As I told xericmx before, to the best of my knowledge, there is no dedicated frame interpolation feature that can actually smooth out the "in-between" frames to give film-based content the "soap opera" look on the F5300.

It will do that with cinemascope (2.xx : 1) images, assuming your black bars are on the top and bottom. If the source is 16:9 (widescreen), it should fill the screen all around.
Of course, 4:3 will have black bars on the sides.

So I'm basically torn between this model or the 55" Vizio LED E550i-B2 for my finished basement. It has a built-in shelf that can accommodate up to a 55" TV. However, I'm torn if I should put in a 51" plasma instead since Best Buy has a terrific sale on this model ($550!) and have read that plasmas blow LEDs out of the water in terms of picture quality. The basement doesn't have any natural light and the lighting above is recessed with dimmer controls.

So I'm basically torn between this model or the 55" Vizio LED E550i-B2 for my finished basement. It has a built-in shelf that can accommodate up to a 55" TV. However, I'm torn if I should put in a 51" plasma instead since Best Buy has a terrific sale on this model ($550!) and have read that plasmas blow LEDs out of the water in terms of picture quality. The basement doesn't have any natural light and the lighting above is recessed with dimmer controls.

Thoughts?

You're in a basement. Get the plasma. That is all.

But seriously, there's no question here in my my opinion that the Samsung is for sure the clear choice and wins in picture quality.

Anyone have any luck getting Best Buy or Sears to budge on the $549 sale price? I know some have reported getting the set for $500 but I'm limited because I want to pick it up from the local stores.

I picked up one from my local HH Gregg last week for $519. It's not their advertised price on the website, so BB might not price match, but HH Gregg has a better return policy of 30 days no hassle. Sometimes it pays to actually walk in the store and see what the prices are. After I exchanged my first one because of screen uniformity issues and a twitchy blue sub pixel, I've been a happy camper with mine, and you can't beat the bang for the buck.

Now I've got my VT60 for reference viewing in the living room, and an F5300 for keeping my mind occupied while I feel the burn on my rowing machine in the back room

Not at all, I find a higher sharpness to look way too coarse on this particular set. Was watching LOTR earlier with the sharpness on 30 and the outlines on the foliage were noticeably overblown, had to take it way down to smooth out the image.

100% correct, it seem samsung sets (or atleast this model, it is my first samsung) come with WAY overenhanced sharpness. I pretty much have to set this thing to 0 if I dont want to see weird edges. The colors are way off too without a proper calibration. Samsung is probably trying to winover the buyers with untrained eyes and have i intentionally set like this for display purposes. But they arent teh only ones that do this.

But seriously, there's no question here in my my opinion that the Samsung is for sure the clear choice and wins in picture quality.

My major concern is the heat generated from the plasma since it will be in an enclosed space from the built-in shelf. Also, the stand is an inch too deep for the shelf. I'm curious if the stand from the PN51F4500 would be compatible with the 5300 (which can easily be purchased on eBay) as that one would definitely fit.

My major concern is the heat generated from the plasma since it will be in an enclosed space from the built-in shelf. Also, the stand is an inch too deep for the shelf. I'm curious if the stand from the PN51F4500 would be compatible with the 5300 (which can easily be purchased on eBay) as that one would definitely fit.

Go to BB with a tape measure and check the stand for yourself, if a spec sheet doesn't list it somewhere. My 5300 doesn't put off that much heat. As long as you have 4" clearance all around the set (non-scientific guesstimate) I think you're fine. The 8500 puts some heat out, but the 5300 is relatively efficient for a plasma and doesn't produce much heat. I would roll with it and get a warranty if you're concerned (do that anyway probably).

Go to BB with a tape measure and check the stand for yourself, if a spec sheet doesn't list it somewhere. My 5300 doesn't put off that much heat. As long as you have 4" clearance all around the set (non-scientific guesstimate) I think you're fine. The 8500 puts some heat out, but the 5300 is relatively efficient for a plasma and doesn't produce much heat. I would roll with it and get a warranty if you're concerned (do that anyway probably).

That's the problem - the cabinet is only 49.25" wide, leaving 1.275" free on the left and right side (the TV is 46.7" wide). Ventilation would definitely be an issue as the product manual recommends 4" clearance on all sides.

That's the problem - the cabinet is only 49.25" wide, leaving 1.275" free on the left and right side (the TV is 46.7" wide). Ventilation would definitely be an issue as the product manual recommends 4" clearance on all sides.

Even with just an inch I think you'll honestly be fine. I would just take it out of the cabinet if making a warranty claim so they don't have that too fall back on in a dispute.

Is there any way to run a slideshow from the USB port without the "Loading" graphic popping up on the top right hand side in between each slide? I'm trying to quickly get through the first 200 or so hours with worry free slides, but i think the graphic popping up constantly would actually defeat the purpose. I also tried doing it through my blu-ray player and it has its own stupid loading graphic as well!

Don't bother. Just minimize your 4:3 and widescreen viewing (use one of the aspect settings if you have to). Leaving the set on for 200 hours probably does more harm than good, anyway.

If the TV isn't capable of handling 200 straight hours, then I'd rather find that out within the return period rather than after. Conventional wisdom says most electronics that fail do so early in their lifespan, and I think the argument can be made that putting it through its paces early on will uncover any potential failures. That being said, I still think slides are a legitimate way to age a plasma quickly to the point where the phosphors settle down and can be calibrated without significant drift. Are they necessary? No. Do they speed up the process? Absolutely.

Plenty of people fall on both sides of the fence when it comes to slides, but I'd say at the least, it doesn't hurt to run them. I'm just irritated that Samsung chose to throw up a "Loading" graphic before each slide. So I guess it's pretty moot anyway, since I won't be running slides because of that. Just wanted to see if anyone knew of any way to turn that off. Full screen content for the next 200 hours it is...